Steve Meets the President!

And not just any president mind you, like of the most powerful nation in the world. No, this President happens to be a modern day prophet who declares the word of God with courage and vigor like few have in modern times. His name...Doug Phillips...founder and president of Vision Forum Ministries located in San Antonio, TX, and in the hearts and minds of God's people throughout the great nation of America and around the world.

On Saturday, February 24th, 2007, June and I loaded up the kids and headed down to Arlington Heights, IL., for a celebration known as Liberty Day. This was the 9th Anniversary for Liberty Day which begun as a family celebration by the Roger Erber Family. We had a great time learning about American History through music, theatre, keynote addresses, and dancing, like the Virginia Reel, which my daughter Janai thoroughly enjoyed. It was also quite enjoyable seeing my friend Herb Devine dance with his little daughter Sara as well!

As much as I enjoyed the hours spent hearing and seeing what I mentioned above, I must admit that the most memorable 10 minutes were the 10 I spent conversing with Mr. Phillips. We chatted about our families and Doug even took time from his busy schedule to pray for me and my family as we seek the Lord's direction for our family. What an honor it was!

For those who know Doug, or at least about Vision Forum, understand that at the heart of Doug Phillips is a desire to see Christian families return once again to the blueprint of family life that God has so clearly laid out for His people in Scripture. He tirelessly proclaims the way of the Lord for Christian homes today and has impacted thousands of homes for the Lord throughout the world. If I can't speak for all of them, I can surely speak for one, my own!

Many years ago when I first became acquainted with Vision Forum via cassettes, yes cassettes, lent to me by a good friend, I heard a message entitled "The Blessed Marriage" by Doug Phillips, and must say it challenged just about everything I thought a good marriage looked like. When you listen to Doug's messages you usually go through about three different stages. After the first listening, you normally feel convicted. After the second, you repent. And after the third, you apply! This happened to me with this message!

By the grace of God ministered to me through men like Doug Phillips, June and I today are who we are. We love one another dearly, love our 8 children, and most importantly, we love the Lord more. Doug's ministry helps us stay focused on the vision and mission that the Lord has put on our hearts to accomplish. Namely, for June to be a full-time keeper of the home, for us to homeschool our little blessings, and for me to lead my family spiritually. We don't do all these things perfectly, but by God's grace, we're making progress.

So thank you Lord Jesus for your gospel,... for the cross,... and for life everlasting!

And thank you Doug Phillips for your prophetic voice that cries in the wilderness to the elect of God challenging them to choose this day whom they will follow! May you stay strong as you stand on God's grace!

Look to Christ

1 ¶ Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12: 1-2

Men, life is tough, and the weak bow to the pressures of life. But we are not of that stock. We are of those who like Christ, persevere for the joy set before us.

Stay strong as you seek to rebuild the culture of your life and family and always look to Jesus when the going gets tough and you feel like bowing out. I'm in your corner and so are those of us who choose to live counter cultural lives.
One income homes, homeschooling, patriarchy, and everything else that renders you a freak of nature, yes and Amen!

God Bless You Men as you seek to stand your ground for your wives, your children, and ultimately for your Lord!

"And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses."
Nehemiah 4:14

For further encouragement on the topic of Male leadership click here to read Douglas Wilson's article entitled 'Men Without Chests.'

Nehemiah: The Man of God - Part I

1 ¶ The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,
2 That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.
3 And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.
4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven. (Nehemiah 1:1-4)

As I read through Nehemiah as part of my daily bible reading, I was really struck by the character of this minor prophet. He is the kind of Man that I could learn from in my quest to be a Godly man. So my next few posts will focus on some attribute of Nehemiah that I believe can help us as men in our roles as leaders, husbands, fathers, and sons of the Most High.

In the passage above, we see that Nehemiah was sensitive to the Spirit of the Lord. Now we as men tend to think of 'being sensitive' the same as being 'soft', but that need not be the case. When I speak of being sensitive, I don't mean that you like chick flicks and cry when watching them. If you do, you probably think Yanni and Richard Simmons are masculine. They're not. The kind of sensitivity I'm speaking of is the kind that Jesus had. We read in the gospels that when Jesus saw crowds coming to Him, he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. He had compassion on them because He was sensitive to them and to their spiritual needs. Like Nehemiah weeping after he heard the condition of Jerusalem. He knew that wasn't what the Lord wanted for His people.

What about you as a husband...are you sensitive to the needs of your bride, like Jesus was to His? If you're not, you have an unloved wife. See, our wives feel very loved when we as their husbands and protectors are sensitive to them. Don't get me wrong, there's a time to knuckle-up and fight, and we'll see this later in Nehemiah 4, but when you're with your wife take the armor off and put the sword down, she's not your enemy. Or she's not suppose to be anyway! She is one with you and in covenant with you. She is the one who the bible says you should delight in and enjoy in all ways. She is the one that Paul told men to 'love as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for'. This means we are to love our wives as Christ has loved us. Sacrificially, completely, etc., etc.. This is not accomplishable without being sensitive to her as a lady, by not "living with her in understanding as the weaker vessel", as the bible says in 1 Peter. Your wife is like fine china, not cement. You be cement, let her be fine china.

So go ahead and try it. Try being sensitive to your wife. Try meeting her emotional needs. Try loving her as Christ loved the church. Then get ready for what's coming when the lights go out!!!

Book Review: Confessions of a Reformission Rev.

In this book, Mark Driscoll, who Pastors Mars Hill Church in Seattle, chronicles the journey he has taken overseeing the fastest growing church in Seattle's history.

From 3 families who totaled 12 people meeting in his living room, to hundreds of families who total over 5000 people meeting weekly, Driscoll gives us an inside glimpse into the growth of one of the 50 most influential churches in America.
From planting just over 10 years ago, to growing around 150% a year, its been a whirlwind for Mars Hill and the leadership team there.

This book is a great read. If church planting interests you, or if you're already in some form of church leadership, you'll do good to read Driscoll's book. This book is also good for gaining an inside view on how Pastors view people in their churches and how to best serve their Pastors in their roles as spiritual leaders. Understanding the dynamics of how a church plant functions, or how any church functions for that matter, will make you a much desired commodity in the church you attend.

Driscoll's approach to teaching doesn't appeal to everyone, but from someone who's grown under his sermons now for almost 10 years, I can assure you that what he says in this book is worth knowing. I especially like his emphasis on reaching the Men in his church. Driscoll understands that by reaching the Men you reach the culture, and by growing the Men you strengthen your church.

Driscoll is also the President of Acts 29, a church planting network that he founded to train Men who have a desire to plant missional churches.

If you've read it, post a comment and let us know what you thought!

To purchase off amazon or to view the chapter titles, which are hilarious, click here.

Book Review: The Total Money Makeover

When I finished this book, I thought "this is doable". Dave Ramsey lays out his plan for achieving financial success in his very popular book, "The Total Money Makeover."

For those of you like me who began your education after finishing public school, you'll like Dave's approach to money management. It's straight forward, clear, and achievable. It's not easy, but achievable.

So if you're looking for help in the area of money management, or just enjoy learning about the whole area of finances, go ahead and pick this book up.


Dave's 'baby steps' as he calls them to achieving financial victory are as follows:

1. Save $1,000 fast.
2. The debt snowball.
3. Finish the emergency fund.
4. Maximize retirement investing.
5. College funding.
   
6. Pay off the home mortgage.
7. Build wealth like crazy.
8. Live like no one else.

As husbands who are responsible for our homes, we should see that our financial lives are in good order. Though you may delegate the job of handling the money to your wife, you can never relegate that job to her. As the covenant head of your home you remain responsible for the financial condition of your home. So educate yourself in this area, you won't regret it.

To order this book of Dave's website click here.

If you've read this book post a comment and let us know what you thought of it!